Values

Union with God:

    • Intentional pursuit of a deep, personal relationship with the divine and living in tune with God’s Kingdom.

    • Embodying the concept of oneness with God: Unity and participation with the divine source of all creation.

Inner Transformation:

    • Focus on cultivating our innate inner connection with God and devotion to spiritual maturity.

    • The idea that true change starts within oneself, leading to a more Christ-like character.

Love and Compassion:

    • Emphasis on unconditional love for all beings, reflecting Christ's paramount teaching to love God and one another as ourself.

    • Compassion as a central virtue, extending loving kindness and empathy to our self and to others.

Silence and Contemplation:

    • Practicing meditation and contemplative prayer as a means to encounter the divine.

    • Finding God in the stillness and quietude of the soul, even in the action of every day life.

Surrender and Discernement:

    • Letting go of attachment to identity, material possessions, status, and egoic desires.

    • Surrendering to God's will and trusting in divine guidance.

Mystical Experience:

    • Recognizing direct, personal experiences with the divine as a way of life.

    • Mystical awareness of God’s presence that transcends reality; i.e. “the world.”

Humility and Vulnerability:

    • Valuing vulnerability as a way to open oneself to the intimacy of divine presence and deepen friendship.

    • Acknowledging one's dependence on God and recognizing the divinity in all of creation (see panentheism).

Forgiveness and Generosity:

    • Emphasis on forgiveness of self and other as a transformative and healing practice leading to abundant life.

    • Embodying Christ's teachings on forgiveness and reconciliation.

Service and Social Impact:

    • Connecting contemplative practice with active service to the ongoing healing of the world.

    • Advocacy for the “least of these” in our society, as inspired by Christ’s call to love and care for the marginalized.

Sacramental Life:

    • Viewing sacraments, practices, gathering, and liturgy as tangible means of experiencing divine presence.

    • Recognizing sacred and symbolic rituals within (but not limited to) the Christian faith.